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<center><h1>Blast Off With BASIC</h1></center>
<P>"Blast Off With BASIC" is a programming tutorial. The purpose of the text is to 
teach <I>programming</I> skills to young people. That it uses the BASIC 
programming language is entirely of secondary importance. The skills to be 
learned through this tutorial will be valuable regardless of the language used 
in later efforts. In fact, the latest visual programming tools (or integrated 
development environments) often obscure the fundamental logic of today's 
programs. Therefore, even though this text is fairly out-of-date with regards to 
the language (GW-BASIC) it still servers as a useful introduction to the 
programming process. </P>

<P>The text was written around 1990 and was aimed at a middle school or junior 
high school audience. How do you know if this text is right for you? If you're 
interested in how computers work, curious about the programs and games that you 
play, then take a look. Beginning in the very first chapter you will be writing 
programs and having your computer do what you tell it to do. If this sounds 
exciting, then you may have a future in programming. Appendix E is a newer
tutorial by By Thomas C. McIntire explaining in detail how to use GW-Basic 
under Windows </P>

<P>Ten years ago, most all personal computers came with a version of the BASIC 
language built into the operating system. Nowadays, it may be something of a 
chore to locate and install GW-BASIC. If you don't have GW-BASIC, an Internet 
search for "GW-BASIC" will reveal several sites from whence it may be 
downloaded.</P>

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<center><h2>Table of Contents</h2></center>
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<P><A HREF="chapter01.html">Chapter 1: Blast Off!</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter02.html">Chapter 2: Hardware, Software, BASIC, and DOS</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter03.html">Chapter 3: Back to BASIC</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter04.html">Chapter 4: SOUNDs So Good</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter05.html">Chapter 5: Pick A Number</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter06.html">Chapter 6: Where Are We Going</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter07.html">Chapter 7: Getting Graphic</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter08.html">Chapter 8: Guess Again</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter09.html">Chapter 9: Next Stop -- Mars!</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter10.html">Chapter 10: It All Adds Up</A></P>
<P><A HREF="chapter11.html">Chapter 11: Keep Going!</A></P>
<P><A HREF="appendixa.html">Appendix A: BASIC Commands Quick Reference</A></P>
<P><A HREF="appendixb.html">Appendix B: DOS Command Summary</A></P>
<P><A HREF="appendixc.html">Appendix C: Computer Speed</A></P>
<P><A HREF="appendixd.html">Appendix D: Reserved Words in BASIC</A></P>
<P><A HREF="gwbaswin.html">Appendix E: Running GW-BASIC under Windows
                                       <i>(By Thomas C. McIntire)</i>



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<P><A HREF="glossary.html">Glossary of Terms</A></P>


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